Shared expense management

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods are provided for managing shared expenses. The systems and methods may include a financial service provider identifying shared expenses in a customer&#39;s transaction history with software application executed on a server or personal computing device. The financial service provider may identify other individuals with whom the customer shares the expense, and send requests for reimbursement on the customer&#39;s behalf. The financial service provider may monitor the status of reimbursement payments, and send reminders as necessary until the shared expense has been reimbursed.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to U.S.provisional patent application No. 61/906,601, filed on Nov. 20, 2013,and entitled “Shared Expense Management,” which is incorporated hereinby reference in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed embodiments generally relate to systems and methods forsharing financial expenses, and more particularly, to systems andmethods for sending, requesting, and receiving money associated withshared expenses.

BACKGROUND

Individuals frequently incur expenses related to experiences that theyshared with other friends or roommates. These shared experiences includesocial events like concerts, group dinners, movie outings, etc.Frequently, one person in the group pays the full price upfront for thedinner or event tickets, and then seeks reimbursement from the otherpersons in the group. Likewise, one roommate in a group living situationoften collects payment from other roommates, and then pays monthly rentand utilities expenses. The individual who pays the shared expense forthe group often faces the task of manually calculating the amount thateach person owes, seeking reimbursement from each person, and keepingtrack of who has paid and who has not paid.

Individuals do not have an easy way to manage their shared expenses.They must remember which expenses were shared with which people, and howmuch money each of those people owe. Some try to track their sharedexpenses using spreadsheets. But, the amount of manual calculation, dataentry, and organization required can lead to errors from miscalculationand forgetfulness. When managing monthly expenses such as rent andutilities, individuals are also challenged with the task of settingdeadlines for collecting roommates' shares, and enforcing theirdeadlines.

Furthermore, reimbursement is usually provided in the form of a cash orcheck, and the individual managing the reimbursements must endure thecumbersome process of handling checks or physically collecting cash. Forexample, transferring cash requires the payee and payor to meet inperson. Sending checks, on the other hand, takes time for the check toarrive in the mail, and check must still be cashed or deposited beforefunds are available for paying expenses.

Newer person-to-person (P2P) payment services such as Paypal™ allowelectronic transmission of money from one Paypal account to another.But, P2P users are still required to manually manage the shared expense,and open an account with the P2P service. Once money is received, theP2P user must still transfer the money from their P2P account into theirbank account before using the money or paying the shared expense.Further, P2P systems typically involve cumbersome registrationprocesses.

SUMMARY

Disclosed embodiments provide methods and systems for managing sharedexpenses. Aspects of the disclosed shared expense management methods andsystems reduce burdens on the individual, and provide a convenient,efficient, and easy-to-use solution for identifying shared expenses,calculating reimbursement shares, sending requests for reimbursement,and tracking incoming reimbursement payments. For example, the automaticcalculation of reimbursement shares greatly reduces the risk of errors.Tracking, reminders, and advance reimbursement requests for recurringexpenses also provide a payee with a convenient way to collect dues frommultiple payors.

Consistent with a disclosed embodiment, a system for managing sharedexpenses is provided. The system may include a storage device storinginstructions, and at least one processor configured to execute theinstructions in the storage device. When the instructions are executed,the processor may detect a shared expense based at least on purchasetransaction information associated with a first user, identify one ormore second users associated with the shared expense based at least onthe purchase transaction information, generate one or more requests forreimbursement for a share amount that is less than the shared expense,transmit the one or more reimbursement requests to at least one of theone or more second users indicating the share amount, and receivereimbursement information for a payment directed to the first user forthe share amount in response to the request for reimbursement.

Consistent with another disclosed embodiment, a computer-implementedmethod for managing shared expenses is provided. The method may includedetecting, by one or more processors, a shared expense based at least onpurchase transaction information associated with a first user,identifying one or more second users associated with the shared expensebased at least on the purchase transaction information, generating, bythe one or more processors, one or more requests for reimbursement for ashare amount that is less than the shared expense, transmitting, by theone or more processors, the one or more reimbursement requests to atleast one of the one or more second users indicating the share amount,and receiving, by the one or more processors, reimbursement informationfor a payment directed to the first user for the share amount inresponse to the request for reimbursement.

Consistent with other disclosed embodiments, tangible, non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media may store program instructions that areexecutable by one or more processors to implement any of the processesdisclosed herein.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only,and are not restrictive of the disclosed embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate several embodiments and, togetherwith the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagram of an exemplary system that may be used to manageshared expenses, consistent with disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a component diagram of an exemplary financial serviceprovider.

FIG. 3 is a component diagram of an exemplary payee device.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for managing a sharedexpense.

FIGS. 5A-5B are flowcharts of an exemplary method for managing arecurring shared expense.

FIG. 6 is an exemplary user interface for requesting reimbursement for ashared expense, consistent with disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 7 is another example of a user interface for requestingreimbursement for a shared expense, consistent with disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 8 is an exemplary user interface for selecting reimbursementrequest recipients, consistent with disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 9 is an exemplary user interface for generating a recurring sharedexpense reimbursement request, consistent with disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary user interface for manually identifying a sharedexpense, consistent with disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 11 is an exemplary user interface for sending a reimbursementpayment, consistent with disclosed embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments, examplesof which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and disclosedherein. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

The disclosed embodiments are directed to systems and methods formanaging shared expenses. A computer-executed software application(“app”), such as a shared expense app may be provided by a financialservice provider (“FSP”), which may identify shared expenses in thetransaction history for a customer of the FSP. The FSP may be a bank,credit card company, or other entity which handles financialtransactions for individuals. Transactions may include credit cardtransactions, debit card transactions, checking transactions, issuanceof loans, and/or cash deposits and withdrawals. The shared expense appmay be a standalone software application executed by FSP serverprocessor(s), a standalone software application for a personal computingdevice such as personal computer software or a mobile device app, orpart of another software application provided by the FSP for managingfinances related to banking, checking credit cards, debit cards, and/orloans.

A “payee,” as discussed herein, may refer to the FSP customer who haspaid or will pay the shared expense. The payee may receive reimbursementpayments from other individuals. A “payor,” as discussed herein, mayrefer to an individual who receives a reimbursement request from thepayee, and who sends reimbursement payments to the payee for their shareof the shared expense.

A learning engine program may identify shared expenses in the FSPcustomer's transaction history automatically using predictive analyticsand/or a learning engine, which improves its own accuracy over time. Thecomputer-executed software application may be executed by one or moreservers operated by the FSP, on a personal computing device associatedwith the customer, or both the servers and personal computing device ina distributed-computing arrangement.

Once a shared expense is identified, either automatically by the sharedexpense management system, or manually input by the FSP customer, theshared expense app may allow the FSP customer to generate and sendrequests for reimbursement from others, manage reimbursement paymentsreceived from others, and/or coordinate requests and payments forrecurring expenses such as monthly rent.

Shared Expense Management System Components and Configuration

FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an exemplary system that may be configured toperform one or more software processes that, when executed by one ormore processors, manage shared expenses consistent with disclosedembodiments. The components and arrangements shown in FIG. 1 are notintended to limit the disclosed embodiments, as the components used toimplement the disclosed processes and features may vary.

In accordance with disclosed embodiments, a shared expense managementsystem 100 may include a financial service provider (“FSP”) 110, one ormore server(s) 111, at least one payee device 120A, one or more payordevice(s) 120B, and one or more third party server(s) 140, eachcommunicating through network 130. Payee device 120A may be connected toFSP 110 via server 111 and to payor device 120B directly or via network130. Server 111 may be connected to third party server 140 directly orvia network 130 (connection not shown in figure). Other components knownto one of ordinary skill in the art may be included in shared expensemanagement system 100 to process, transmit, provide, and receiveinformation consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

Payee device 120A may allow one or more FSP 110 customers, such as payee121, to generate, send, and manage reimbursement requests for sharedexpenses. Payor device 120B may allow one or more payors 122, who may ormay not be FSP 110 customers, to receive reimbursement requests, andsend reimbursement payment to payee 121. Payee device 120A and payordevice 120B may be personal computing devices. For example, payee device120A and payor device 120B may include general purpose or notebookcomputers, mobile devices with computing ability, a server, desktopcomputers, tablets, smartphones, or any combination of these computersand/or affiliated components. In one embodiment, payee device 120A maybe a computer system or mobile computer device that is operated by payee121 who is a FSP customer.

Payee device 120A and payor device 120B may be configured with storagethat stores one or more operating systems that perform known operatingsystem functions when executed by one or more processors. By way ofexample, the operating systems may include Microsoft Windows™, Unix™,Linux™, Apple™ Computers type operating systems, Personal DigitalAssistant (PDA) type operating systems, such as Microsoft CE™, or othertypes of operating systems. Accordingly, embodiments of the disclosedinvention will operate and function with computer systems running anytype of operating system. Payee device 120A and payor device 120B mayalso include communication software that, when executed by a processor,provides communications with network 130, such as Web browser software,tablet or smart hand held device networking software, etc.

FSP 110 may be a bank, credit card company, merchant, lender, and thelike, offering financial services to customers. FSP 110 may operate oneor more server(s) 111. Server 111 may be a computer-based systemincluding computer system components, desktop computers, workstations,tablets, hand held computing devices, memory devices, and/or internalnetwork(s) connecting the components.

Network 130 may comprise any type of computer networking arrangementused to exchange data. For example, network 130 may be the Internet, aprivate data network, virtual private network using a public network,and/or other suitable connection(s) that enables system 100 to send andreceive information between the components of system 100. Network 130may also include a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”) and/or awireless network.

In some embodiments, server 111 may receive information from one or morethird party servers 140 via network 130. Third party server 140 mayinclude a computer-based system operated by a merchant, credit reportingagency, Automated Clearing House (ACH) system, or other data reportingsource having pricing information about merchants or vendors such asZagat™ or YeIp™. Merchants may include, for example, companies that sellproducts and/or services to consumers. In some aspects, merchants mayinclude companies selling products and/or services often shared bygroups of consumers. For example, merchants may include companies suchas Ticketmaster™, StubHub™, etc. selling tickets to social events. Insome embodiments, an entity that tracks average housing and utilityprices may operate third party server 140, and send housing and utilityprice data to FSP 110 server 111. In some embodiments, one or more thirdparty servers 140 may be operated by an e-mail service, telephoneservice, or social network. In such embodiments, third party server 140sends information to server 111 regarding a payee 121's e-mailcommunications, telephone call logs, and/or social network profileinformation including payee 121's interaction with other social networkmembers, and events that payee 121 has or will attend. In someembodiments, third party server 140 only provides such information toFSP server 111 based on payee 121's authorization.

FIG. 2 shows a diagram of an exemplary system FSP 110, consistent withdisclosed embodiments. As shown, FSP 110 may include one or more server111. Although discussed here in relation to FSP 110, it should beunderstood that variations of server 111 may be used by other componentsof system 100, including payee device 120A, payor device 120B, and thirdparty server 140.

Server 111 may include one or more processor 220, an input/output(“I/O”) device 230, and memory 240 containing, for example, an operatingsystem (not shown), programs 250, and data 260. Server 111 may be asingle server or may be configured as a distributed computer systemincluding multiple servers or computers that interoperate to perform oneor more of the processes and functionalities associated with thedisclosed embodiments.

Processor 220 may be one or more known processing devices, such as amicroprocessor from the Pentium™ family manufactured by Intel™ or theTurion™ family manufactured by AMD™. Processor 220 may constitute asingle core or multiple core processor that executes parallel processessimultaneously. For example, processor 220 may be a single coreprocessor configured with virtual processing technologies. In certainembodiments, processor 220 may use logical processors to simultaneouslyexecute and control multiple processes. Processor 220 may implementvirtual machine technologies, or other known technologies to provide theability to execute, control, run, manipulate, store, etc. multiplesoftware processes, applications, programs, etc. In another embodiment,processor 220 may include a multiple-core processor arrangement (e.g.,dual, quad core, etc.) configured to provide parallel processingfunctionalities to allow server 111 to execute multiple processessimultaneously. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand thatother types of processor arrangements could be implemented that providefor the capabilities disclosed herein.

FSP 110 may include one or more storage devices configured to storeinformation used by processor 220 (or other components) to performcertain functions related to the disclosed embodiments. In one example,server 111 may include memory 240 that includes instructions to enableprocessor 220 to execute one or more applications, such as serverapplications, a shared expense management application, networkcommunication processes, and any other type of application or softwareknown to be available on computer systems. Alternatively, theinstructions, application programs, etc. may be stored in an externalstorage in direct communication with server 111, such as one or moredatabase(s) 270 or available from a memory over a network (not shown).Database 270 or other external storage may be a volatile ornon-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor, tape, optical, removable,non-removable, or other type of storage device or tangible (i.e.,non-transitory) computer-readable medium.

In one embodiment, server 111 may include memory 240 that includesinstructions that, when executed by processor 220, perform one or moreprocesses consistent with the functionalities disclosed herein. Methods,systems, and articles of manufacture consistent with disclosedembodiments are not limited to separate programs or computers configuredto perform dedicated tasks. For example, server 111 may include memory240 that may include one or more programs 250 to perform one or morefunctions of the disclosed embodiments. Moreover, processor 220 mayexecute one or more programs located remotely from shared expensemanagement system 100. For example, server 111 may access one or moreremote programs, that, when executed, perform functions related todisclosed embodiments.

Programs 250 stored in memory 240 and executed by processor(s) 220 mayinclude one or more FSP app(s) 252 and learning engine 254. FSP app(s)252 may cause processor(s) 220 to execute one or more processes relatedto financial services provided to customers including, but not limitedto, processing credit and debit card transactions, checkingtransactions, fund deposits and withdrawals, transferring money betweenfinancial accounts, lending loans, processing payments for credit cardand loan accounts, identifying shared expenses, sending notifications topayee 121 regarding identified shared expenses, generating reimbursementrequests, identifying recipients for reimbursement requests, routingreimbursement requests to recipients, receiving reimbursement paymentfrom recipients—i.e., payors 122, updating payee 121's financial accountto reflect received payments, identifying recurring shared expenses,sending payment for recurring shared expenses, and any other processesrelated to financial services, particularly processes related to theshared expense management methods described herein.

Server 111 may use learning engine 254 to employ predictive analytics toautomatically identify potential shared expenses and possible recipientsfor reimbursement requests corresponding to the identified sharedexpenses. In some embodiments. Server 111 may continuously improve theaccuracy of learning engine 254 over time by collecting feedback fromFSP customers, such as payee 121, regarding the accuracy of identifiedshared expenses and reimbursement request recipients. Collected feedbackmay be stored, for example, in memory 240 and/or database 270. Server111 may employ one or more regression algorithms, clustering algorithms,or other known data analysis techniques to analyze collected data.Learning engine 254 may employ such data analysis and crowd-sourcingtechniques to learn new patterns and thresholds in transaction dataindicative of shared expenses versus individual, non-shared expenses.

Memory 240 and database 270 may include one or more memory devices thatstore data and instructions used to perform one or more features of thedisclosed embodiments. Memory 240 and database 270 may also include anycombination of one or more databases controlled by memory controllerdevices (e.g., server(s), etc.) or software, such as document managementsystems, Microsoft SQL databases, SharePoint databases, Oracle™databases, Sybase™ databases, or other relational databases.

Sever 111 may also be communicatively connected to one or more remotememory devices (e.g., databases (not shown)) through network 130 or adifferent network. The remote memory devices may be configured to storeinformation and may be accessed and/or managed by server 111. By way ofexample, the remote memory devices may be document management systems,Microsoft SQL database, SharePoint databases, Oracle™ databases, Sybase™databases, or other relational databases. Systems and methods consistentwith disclosed embodiments, however, are not limited to separatedatabases or even to the use of a database.

Server 111 may also include one or more I/O devices 230 that maycomprise one or more interfaces for receiving signals or input fromdevices and providing signals or output to one or more devices thatallow data to be received and/or transmitted by server 111 For example,server 111 may include interface components, which may provideinterfaces to one or more input devices, such as one or more keyboards,mouse devices, and the like, that enable server 111 to receive inputfrom an employee of FSP 110 (not shown).

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary configuration of payee device 120A, consistentwith disclosed embodiments. Payor device 120B (not shown) may have asimilar configuration. As shown, payee device 120A may be configuredwith a display 310, input/output (“I/O”) device(s) 320, one or moreprocessor(s) 330, memory 340 that stores one or more program(s) 350 suchas FSP app(s) 352, and data 360.

Display 310 may include one or more devices for displaying information,including but not limited to, liquid crystal displays (LCD), lightemitting diode screens (LED), organic light emitting diode screens(OLED), and other known display devices.

I/O devices 320 may include one or more devices that allow payee device120A to send and receive information. I/O devices 320 may include camera322, to allow payee device 120A to receive, for example, pictures ofreceipts, bills taken by payee 121, etc. I/O devices 320 may alsoinclude one or more communication modules (not shown) for sending andreceiving information from other components in shared expense managementsystem 100 by, for example, establishing wired or wireless connectivitybetween payee device 120A to network 130, by establishing direct wiredor wireless connections between payee device 120A and server 111, orbetween payee device 120A and payor device(s) 120B. Direct connectionsmay include, for example, Bluetooth™, Bluetooth LE™, WiFi, near fieldcommunications (NFC), or other known communication methods which providea medium for transmitting data between separate devices.

Processor(s) 330 may be one or more known computing devices, such asthose described with respect to server 111 processor 220 in FIG. 2.

Memory 340 may be a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic, semiconductor,tape, optical, removable, non-removable, or other type of storage deviceor tangible (i.e., non-transitory) computer-readable medium that storesone or more program(s) 350 and data 360. Data 360 may include, as anon-limiting example, payee 121's personal contact list having nameswith associated phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and/or otherinformation associated with the contact. Data 360 may also include, forexample, payee device 120A settings, transaction history data, imagedata, and any other data pertinent to the usage of payee device 120A andthe performance of methods disclosed herein.

Program(s) 350 may include operating systems (not shown) that performknown operating system functions when executed by one or moreprocessors. By way of example, the operating systems may includeMicrosoft Windows™, Unix™, Linux™ Apple™ operating systems, PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA) type operating systems, such as Microsoft CE™,or other types of operating systems. Accordingly, disclosed embodimentsmay operate and function with computer systems running any type ofoperating system. Payee device 120A may also include communicationsoftware that, when executed by a processor, provides communicationswith network 130, such as Web browser software, tablet, or smart handheld device networking software, etc. Payee device 120A may be a devicethat executes mobile applications for performing operations consistentwith disclosed embodiments, such as a tablet or mobile device.

Program(s) 350 may also include FSP app(s) 352. Similar to FSP app(s)252 executed by server 111, payee device 120A may execute one or moreFSP app(s) 352 to perform processes related to financial servicesincluding, but not limited to, analyzing transaction history data toidentify shared expenses, receiving data from server 111 regardingidentified shared expenses, identifying reimbursement recipients,receiving data from server regarding identified recipients, sendingfeedback data to server 111 regarding the accuracy of identified sharedtransactions and recipients, receiving input from payee 121 regardingmanually indicated shared expenses and/or recipients, reimbursementshare amounts, receiving input from payee 121 regarding access to thirdparty accounts, processing received reimbursement payments, initiatingpayment of recurring shared expenses, and any other processes related tofinancial services, particularly processes related to the shared expensemanagement methods described herein.

Managing Shared Expenses

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an exemplary shared expense managementprocess 400. For discussion purposes, the exemplary methods aredescribed as performed by server 111. In some embodiments, however,payee device 120A may perform one or more disclosed method steps. Inother embodiments, different components of shared expense system 100(such as server 111 and payee device processor(s) 220) may performvarious steps of the methods in a distributed-computing configuration.

In step 410, server 111 may scan payee 121's transaction history andidentify a potential shared expense. In step 412, server 111 may informpayee 121 that a potential shared expense has been identified and, instep 414, may request confirmation from payee 121 to confirm whether theidentified expense is a shared expense. If payee 121 indicates that theidentified expense is not a shared expense in step 416, server 111 mayupdate learning engine 254 in step 417 to improve future shared expenseidentification accuracy, and the process ends. After the process ends,server 111 may continue to monitor payee 121's transaction history (stepnot shown), and begin process 400 again upon detection of a newpotential shared expense.

If payee 121 confirms that the identified expense is indeed a sharedexpense in step 416, server 111 may update learning engine 254accordingly in step 418 to improve future shared expense identificationaccuracy. In step 420, server 111 may identify recipients in areimbursement request for the shared expense. Recipients can beidentified automatically by server 111, or manually by payee 121, asdiscussed in detail further below. After recipients are identified,server 111 may specify an amount to be requested from each recipient instep 422. Server 111 may automatically specify the amount requested bydividing the total amount into a number of equal shares based on thenumber of recipients and the payee. In some embodiments, unequal amountsmay be specified for particular recipients automatically, as discussedlater with respect to recurring shared expenses. Server 111 may alsospecify the amount requested according to a certain ratio, such as 40%paid by payee, and the remaining 60% split among request recipients.Server 111 may propose a ratio for transactions, for example, based onpatterns that learning engine 254 identifies in a payee 121'stransaction history, expense amounts, the identities of reimbursementrequest recipients, and/or the reimbursement amounts and/or ratios fromsimilar previous shared expenses. In some embodiments, server 111 mayspecify the amount requested based on manual input received from payee121 via payee device 120A.

In step 424, server 111 may send the reimbursement request to each ofthe identified recipients for the specified amounts. Reimbursementrequest recipients (referred to interchangeably as payor(s) 122) mayreceive the reimbursement requests (step not shown) and send payment topayee 121. In step 426, reimbursement payments from payors 122 may bereceived and processed. Server 111 may also determine whether some orall payments in response the reimbursement request have been received instep 428. For example, server 111 may identify a financial transactionassociated with one or more of the payors 112 from account informationassociated with payee 121 stored by FSP 110. In some embodiments, FSP110 may associate the identified financial transactions as a payment ofstep 426 based on the transaction data, including whether the amountmatches the specified amount requested, the identity of the sendermatches a request recipient, etc. In other embodiments, whether some orall payments have been received may be based on input provided by one orboth of payee 121 (via, e.g., payee device) and payor(s) 122 (via, e.g.,payor device(s)). If it is determined that all payments have beenreceived in step 430 (“yes”), process 400 may end. If it is determinedin step 430 that not all payments have been received (“no”), then areminder message may be generated and sent to each non-paying recipientin step 432. The process then returns to step 426, where additionalpayments are received. In some embodiments, additional reminder messagesare sent to non-paying recipients after a predetermined elapsed time(step not shown), until they send reimbursement. Server 111 may allowpayee 121 to configure reminder messages to include certain phrases, tobe sent at certain days or times, or to include additional late fee orinterest charges.

Managing Recurring Shared Expenses

FIGS. 5A and 5B show an exemplary recurring shared expense managementprocess 500 consistent with disclosed embodiments. Recurring sharedexpense management process 500 may begin when server 311 identifies arecurring shared expense in step 510. Recurring shared expenses may beidentified by server 311 using learning engine 254 in a similar mannerto that discussed with respect to FIG. 4. Recurring shared expenses mayinclude, for example, housing and utility expense categories by default.Additional categories and threshold amounts may be identified bylearning engine 254 of server 111 in response to manual categorizationinput received from payee 121 over time. Server 111 may inform payee 121of the identified potential recurring shared expense in step 512 via,for example, a message displayed on payee device 120A. In step 514,server 111 may receive input from payee 121 confirming whether theidentified expense is a recurring shared expense. If there is norecurring shared expense (“no” in step 516), then in step 517 server 111may update learning engine 254 based on, for example, the transactioncategory, transaction amount, payee 121 information, etc. to improveidentification accuracy for future recurring shared expense, and the mayprocess end. If the process ends, server 111 may continue to monitorpayee 121's transaction history (step not shown) and begin process 500again upon detection of a new potential recurring shared expense.

If it is confirmed that there is a recurring shared expense (“yes” instep 516), server 111 may update learning engine 254 in step 518 withinformation associated with the shared expense, such as the category,amount, and payee 121 information. In step 520, server 111 may identifyrecipients in a reimbursement request form for the recurring sharedexpense. Recipients for recurring shared expense requests may beidentified, for example, based on prior similar transactions. Forexample, if the identified recurring shared expense is a rent payment,and previous rent payments made at a similar time of the month for asimilar amount involved payors A, B, and C, then A, B, and C may beautomatically identified as possible recipients for the new request. Insome embodiments, recipients may be identified automatically by locationor social and communication records (both discussed later). Payee 121may manually edit the list of recipients add or remove persons.

Server 111 may identify an amount to request from each request recipientin step 522. In some embodiments, server 111 may automatically identifythe amount requested by dividing the total amount into equal shares. Insome aspects, different amounts may be specified for particularrecipients. For example, in the monthly rent example above withrecipients A, B, and C, if in one or more previous monthly renttransactions person A paid $500, person B paid $400, and person C paid$600, then those amounts are automatically set by server 111 for eachrespective recipient. By doing so, payee 121 can quickly finalize andsend the reimbursement request with minimal effort for recurring sharedexpenses having the same recipients and amounts requested. Payee 121 mayalso edit the amounts, and server 111 may update learning engine 254accordingly based on the changed amount and respective recipient data(step not shown).

In step 524 server 111 determines an advance time for sending thereimbursement requests. “Advance time” may be the amount of time priorto the due date of the recurring expense when the reimbursement requestis sent to recipients. For example, if a rent payment is due at thefirst of every month, server 111 may set an advance time of one-week,and the reimbursement requests would be sent to recipients on or aroundthe 23rd day of the preceding month depending on the number of days inthe preceding month. In some embodiments, advance time is determinedindividually for each reimbursement request recipient based on multiplefactors. For example, server 111 may determine the advance time based onthe amount requested, where a reimbursement request for a large sum ofmoney would result in a greater advance time to allow the payoradditional time to gather and send the associated payment. Anotherfactor may include the amount of potential late fees or interestassociated with the shared expense payee will make on behalf of payors122. For example, server 111 may determine a greater advance time wherea missed or late payment of the shared expense would result insignificant late fee penalties, loss of the underlying product orservice, etc. An additional factor may include the reimbursementperformance history of the particular recipient. For example, server 111may set a longer period of advance time for a recipient who haspreviously sent reimbursements late or required multiple reminders,whereas a recipient who usually sends payment promptly after receivingthe first request may receive a shorter advance time. If the recipientis a FSP 110 customer, server 111 may also calculate an advance timeperiod based on the recipient's performance history for making paymentsto FSP 110 for credit card or loan payments. In some embodiments,recipients may specify a preferred advance time for one or morerecurring shared expenses.

Process 500 continues in FIG. 5B. In step 526, the recurringreimbursement request may be sent to each of the identified recipientsfor the identified amounts. Recipients (now referred to for FIG. 5B aspayors 122) may receive reimbursement requests and send payment to payee121 (steps not shown). In step 528, server 111 may receive and processpayments from payors 122. If a reimbursement payment is not receivedfrom one or more payors 122 within a predetermined length of time,server 111 may send additional reminders to the non-paying payor(s)(step not shown).

In some embodiments, server 111 may process payment for reimbursementrequests automatically (step not shown). For example, server 111 maydetermine a transaction risk associated with the reimbursement requestbetween payee 121 and payor 122, based on, for example, the amountrequested, the amount of interaction between payee 121 and payor 122,and/or any history of reimbursement requests and payments between payee121 and payor 122. If server 111 determines that the transaction risk isbelow a predetermined threshold, server 111 may process thereimbursement payment automatically by, for example, deducting theamount requested from payor 122's account and crediting thereimbursement amount to payee 121's account. Transaction riskdeterminations and automatic payments are discussed in further detaillater.

In step 530, server 111 may determine whether the recurring expensepayment is due. For example, server 111 may determine whether a rentpayment is due to a landlord. If payment is not due (for example, ifrent is due on the first of every month and time remains in thepreceding month), the process may return to step 528 (“no” in step 532).If payment is due (i.e., it is the first of the month), sever 111determines whether all payments have been received in step 534 (“yes” instep 532). If all payments have been received from payor(s) 122 (“yes”in step 536), then payment for the recurring shared expense may be madein step 538. For example, server 111 may initiate payment of the fullshared expect (i.e., full rent amount) from a financial account of payee121 associated with FSP 110.

In step 540, server 111 may determine whether additional payments forthe recurring shared expense remain. For example, server 111 maydetermine that remaining monthly payments exist for a lease length andstart date. To determine there are additional future payments, and thenumber of payments remaining, server 111 may receive the total number ofpayments or time period and frequency of the recurring shared expense(not shown in figures) from payee 121, payor(s) 122, and/or third-partysources such as the lease holder. In some embodiments, server 111 mayreceive information associated with future payments upon identificationof the recurring shared expense in step 510. For example, when a rentpayment is first identified as a potential recurring shared expense,server 111 may receive indication from payee 121 that the rent paymentis a monthly payment in a lease that ends in one year.

In some embodiments, server 111 may scan payee 121's e-mail, socialnetwork profile, and/or other communication records received from one ormore third party servers 140, based on payee 121's approval, to identifyrecurring shared expenses and details of the shared expense (not shownin figures). For example, if payee 121 has previously granted server 111permission to scan e-mails, server 111 may find that a recent e-mail topersons A, B, and C informed them that “rent is due March 1,” or ane-mail from the landlord indicating that “the lease will end on Dec. 31,2013.” Server 111 may compare information mined from payee 121'scommunication records to payee 121's transaction history to identifypotential details about transactions occurring on dates proximate to thecommunications or proximate to dates stated in the communications.Server 111 may also receive input from payee 121 confirming or rejectingthe accuracy of the identified details for a transaction, and server 111may update learning engine 254 to improve the accuracy of futureanalysis and identification.

If server 111 determines, or payee 121 manually indicates, that nofuture payments remain for the recurring shared expense and that therecurring shared expense has completed (“yes” in step 542), then process500 may end until server 111 detects a new recurring shared expense.

If it is determined in step 542 that additional recurring shared expensepayments remain (“no” in step 542), either by server 111 automaticallydetecting terms of the recurring expense or based on input from payee121, then server 111 may send the next reimbursement request to therequest recipients in step 544. When sending the next request, server111 may recalculate the advance time (step not shown) for each recipientbased on their promptness in sending reimbursement for the previousmonth(s), and other factors which may increase or decrease the advancetime as discussed above. After sending the next reimbursement request,process 500 may return to step 528.

Returning to step 536, if server 111 determines that not allreimbursement payments have been received when payment is due (“no” instep 536), server 111 may determine whether to issue a temporary creditto the non-paying payor(s) in step 546. In some embodiments, server 111may issue temporary credits only for payors who are also FSP 110customers. A temporary credit may be part of a line of credit lineissued by FSP 110 to payor 122, or it may be a credit from payee 121,where payee 121 pays the payor 122's share and seeks reimbursement laterthrough additional reimbursement requests.

Server 111 may determine a payor 122's eligibility for temporary crediton an individual case-by-case basis. The eligibility for temporarycredit may depend on payor 122's credit history, the amount of thereimbursement request, and payor 122's performance history for sendingreimbursement. In some embodiments, as discussed above, server 111 mayissue temporary credit only for payors 122 who are also FSP 110customers. Server 111 may query payor 122's credit history and recordsalready in FSP 110's possession, e.g., stored in memory 240 and/ordatabase 270.

In other embodiments, server 111 may request payor 122's credit historyfrom a third party server 140 operated by a credit reporting agency. Insome embodiments where payor 122 is not a FSP 110 customer, payor 122may authorize FSP 110 to pull their credit history for evaluatingeligibility to receive a temporary credit.

Referring again to FIG. 5B, when server 111 issues a temporary credit(“yes” in step 548), the recurring shared expense may be paid (step538), and process 500 continues to step 540 discussed above.Furthermore, server 111 may send a supplemental reimbursement request topayor 122 for the unreimbursed payment and any interest or late payments(step not shown).

To determine whether additional recurring shared expense paymentsremain, and the number of payments remaining, server 111 may request orotherwise receive information from payee 121. For example, payee 121 mayenter the total number of payments or time period and frequency of therecurring shared expense (not shown in figures) upon the firstidentification of the recurring shared expense (from step 510). Forexample, when a rent payment is first identified as a potentialrecurring shared expense, server 111 may receive an indication frompayee 121 that the rent payment is a monthly payment in lease that endsin one year. In some embodiments, server 111 may scan payee 121'se-mail, social network profile, and/or other communication records,based on payee 121's approval, to identify recurring shared expenses andthe possible details of the shared expense (not shown in figures). Forexample, if payee 121 has previously granted server 111 permission toscan e-mails, server 111 may find that a recent e-mail to persons A, B,and C informed them that “rent is due March 1,” or an e-mail from thelandlord indicating that the lease will end on Dec. 31, 2013.” Server111 may compare information mined from payee 121's communication recordsto the transaction history, to identify potential details abouttransactions occurring on dates proximate to the communications orproximate to dates stated in the communications. Server 111 may alsoreceive input from payee 121 confirming or rejecting the accuracy of theidentified details for a transaction and update learning engine 254accordingly to improve the accuracy of future analysis andidentification.

Referring still to FIG. 5B, if server 111 does not issue a temporarycredit (“no” in step 548), server 111 may send a reminder (step 550) andprocess 500 may return to step 528. In some embodiments, server 111 maypay the recurring expense in step 538 using an amount that is less thanfull payment by the amount of the non-paying payor 122's share. Ifprocess 500 continues (“yes” in step 542, when additional paymentsremain) server 111 may generate and send the next reimbursement request(step 544). When sending the next reimbursement request, in someembodiments, server 111 may request reimbursement for the amount of thefuture payments and the past due reimbursement (not shown in figure).Furthermore, server 111 may assess and add a late fee or interest chargeto the amount requested from the non-paying payor 122. Late fees and/orinterest charges may be calculated based on the contractual terms of therecurring expense. In some embodiments, server 111 may determine of theamount of late fees and/or interest charges based on manually inputinformation received from payee 121. In other embodiments, server 111may automatically set late fee and/or interest charge amounts based onthe details of previous reimbursement requests that included anyinterest or late fees charges.

FIG. 6 shows an exemplary user interface for requesting reimbursementfor a shared expense, consistent with disclosed embodiments. The userinterface may be displayed on display 150 of payee device 120A. Asshown, server 111 may display information reflecting an identifiedshared purchase from a vendor “Ticketmaster” in the amount of $250.Server 111 may identify the transaction as a shared expense by, forexample, comparing the transaction amount to ticket price informationreceived from third party server 140 operated by the vendor Ticketmaster(steps not shown). In the provided example, the transaction amount of$250 is likely too much for a single ticket, and server 111 thereforeidentifies the purchase as a shared expense. If payee 121 indicated toserver 111 that this transaction was not a shared expense, eitherbecause payee 121 wanted to buy multiple tickets (for example, as gifts)or because the purchase was for a single ticket, server 111 would updatelearning engine 254 to improve accuracy of future analysis. In thisexample, server 111 would update its patterns and thresholds to reflectthat this particular payee 121 has spent $250 with Ticketmaster in anon-shared expense. Sever 111 may further include a message to displayvia the user interface corresponding to the shared expense, such as“looks like you bought concert tickets for your friends.” Server 111 mayalso include a means, such as the button displayed in FIG. 6, thatallows payee 121 to interact with the user interface to “Request Money”from the individuals for whom payee 121 purchased tickets.

FIG. 7 shows another example of a user interface for requestingreimbursement for a shared expense, consistent with disclosedembodiments. As shown, a $170 purchase from Maggiano restaurant has beenidentified by server 111 as a shared expense. Server 111 may identifythe shared expense by comparing the purchase amount to average mealprices. According to some embodiments, server 111 may determine averagemeal prices based on received information from third party server 140operated by an information and review service, such as Zagat™ or YeIp™.Based on the comparison with the average meal amount, server 111 maydetermine that more than an individual meal was purchased.

The user interface may further display a message related to the sharedexpense and/or identify individuals associated with payee 121 who mayhave been present at the restaurant at the time of the purchase. In theexample, Amy, Jimmy, and Adrian are identified as individuals present atthe meal from which payee 121 may wish to request reimbursement.

To identify individuals potentially present at the purchase meal, server111 may analyze time-stamped location information associated with otherFSP 110 customers to identify customers also present at Maggiano aroundthe time of the $170 purchase. For example, a customer may havepurchased drinks from Maggiano's bar earlier in the day that the $170purchase was made. The identified FSP 110 customers may be cross-checkedagainst payee 121's contacts, including those stored in contact listsmaintained by server 110, social network connections, contacts listed onphone bills, and/or past reimbursement request recipients. Matches maybe identified as potential reimbursement request recipients for the $170shared expense.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary user interface for selecting reimbursementrequest recipients. In some embodiments, the user interface may bedisplayed upon selecting the “request” button of the user interfaceshown in FIG. 7. Continuing the example discussed above with respect toFIG. 7, contacts may be displayed in the user interface of FIG. 8 forpayee 121 to select as reimbursement request recipients. Any recipientsthat server 111 automatically identified may be displayed at the top ofthe contacts list, along with frequent recipients, or individuals whomserver 111 has determined payee 121 has frequent contact with viae-mail, phone, or social networking. Additionally or alternatively, afull contact list may be displayed to allow payee 121 to selectively addrecipients. Server 111 may also receive from payee 121 informationidentifying recipients who do not appear in the contact list, via aninput box on the user interface. The information identifying recipientsmay include, for example, e-mail address(es), phone number(s), name(s),mailing address(es), etc.

Identifying Shared Expenses

Server 111 may identify shared expenses automatically or manually inresponse to input from payee 121 via payee device 120A. To identifyshared expenses in a transaction history automatically, server 111 mayemploy learning engine 254 to compare transactions in differentcategories and with different vendors to threshold amounts andtransaction patterns for each vendor and/or category. For example, ifthe amount of a payment to particular vendor exceeds the vendorthreshold, or a payment in a particular category exceeds the categorythreshold, server 111 may identify the transaction as a potential sharedexpense.

Thresholds and patterns may be stored in database 270 and/or memory 240of server 111, and may be continuously updated by learning engine 254based on, for example, feedback received associated with automaticallyidentified shared expenses. To update thresholds and patterns, server111 may gather data from third party servers 140, such as averageindividual meal prices for different restaurants or average ticketprices for certain events or types of events. Such third party servers140 may be operated by companies which gather information about vendors,such as Zagat™ or YeIp™, or by the vendors themselves, such as variousrestaurants, stores, or service providers such as Ticketmaster™.Additionally, server 111 may scan FSP 110 customer e-mails, phone bills,and/or social network interaction data to identify possible sharedexpenses. Third party servers 140 may be operated by e-mail services,telephone service providers, and/or social networks providing data, withthe FSP 110 customer's authorization, to server 111. The provided datamay be analyzed to detect certain phrases or entries related totransaction history entries.

Server 111 may also gather crowd-sourced data and feedback from FSP 110customers by, for example, gathering feedback about the accuracy ofidentified shared expenses. Learning engine 254 may analyze the gathereddata and recognize patterns between different FSP 110 customers,vendors, transaction amounts, transaction locations, etc. Learningengine 254 may also establish transaction amount thresholds fordifferent combinations of vendors, transaction categories, and differentFSP 110 customers. The thresholds and patterns may be stored in memory240 and/or database 270.

Server 111 may analyze FSP 110 customer transactions as they occur andcompare the transaction amount, time, location, and transaction categoryto the stored thresholds and patterns. The identification of a potentialshared expense or recurring shared expense may trigger the start of theprocesses discussed with respect to FIGS. 4 and 5A-5B.

Server 111 may analyze location data collected for FSP 110 customers todetermine which customers are located proximate to one another at thetime of certain transactions. According to some embodiments, locationdata may be collected from FSP 110 customer mobile devices, such aspayee device 120A and payor devices 120B. Location data may be based onGPS location, Wi-Fi-assisted GPS, cellular triangulation, Bluetooth™ LE,or other known location methods. In some embodiments, location may bemanually identified by payee 121 or payor 122, or may be inferred basedon locations identified in e-mails or social network postings. Based onthe collected location data, server 111 may determine which FSP 110customers gathered in a particular restaurant at the time a purchasetransaction occurs. The presence of multiple FSP 110 customers in thetransaction location may be considered by server 111 to increase theprobability that the transaction is a shared expense.

In some embodiments, server 111 may receive information from payee 121identifying shared expenses (such as, for example, through manual entryinto the user interface) and create a request for reimbursement thatincludes shared expenses not identified by server 111 and/or not listedon payee 121's transaction history for a particular FSP 110 account(s).To manually identify a shared expense, server 111 may provide aninterface allowing payee 121 to access transaction history data via,e.g., a web browser or using FSP app(s) 352. Server 111 may additionallyreceive information indicating payee 121 selected a particulartransaction and/or manually identified the transaction as a sharedexpense or recurring shared expense, triggering the processes in FIG. 4or 5A-5B.

In some embodiments, server 111 may receive information associated witha picture of a paper receipt that, for example, payee 120A took apicture of using payee device 120A (via, e.g., camera 322) andidentifying the receipt as a shared expense in FSP app 352. Furthermore,server 111 may receive information associated with bills from otherfinancial institutions scanned or photographed by payee 121 andidentifying particular transactions as shared expenses.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary user interface for requesting reimbursement ofa shared expense. As shown, at the top of the user interface, payee 121may manually identify the recipient(s) for the request (by, for example,hitting the “+” button). The amount requested for each recipient mayalso be specified, along with a description of the shared expense. Theuser interface may also allow payee 121 to designate when to send therequest (by, for example, choosing a date upon choosing the calendarbutton), and also identify whether the shared expense is recurring(e.g., by clicking the “recurring” link). Payee 121 may furthercategorize the shared expense through the user interface to provideserver 111 with information that allows learning engine 254 to updateand improve patterns and thresholds used in automatic shared expenserecognition. As shown in FIG. 9, potential categories for the expense(such as Food, Fun, or Household) may be suggested to payee 121 basedon, for example, transaction information. Server 111 may also receiveinformation indicating additional categories through payee 121'sselection the “other” button category and subsequent manual entry ofcategory information. To finalize the request and instruct server 111 tosend the request to the identified recipients, a “send request” buttonis also provided.

FIG. 10 is an exemplary user interface that allows payee 121 to manuallyenter bills not listed on the transaction history and/or stored indatabase 270. The user interface may allow payee 121 to indicate whetherthe bill is an e-bill, which may allow payee 121 to send paymentdirectly through FSP 110 server 111 using the interface. Portions of theuser interface may allow payee 121 to enter the biller name, accountnumber associated with the bill, amount of the bill, and due date.Recipients for a reimbursement request, and the amounts requested fromthose recipients, may be indicated in the “Friends” and “Split” tabbedboxes, respectively. Recipients may be selected in a manner similar tothat described with respect to FIG. 9. Toggle buttons on the userinterface may further allow payee 121 to indicate whether the bill ispart of a recurring shared expense, and whether payee 121 wants FSP 110to automatically pay the bill on its due date. Before finalizing andadding the bill, payee 121 may add “tags” to the bill, similar to theindication of categories discussed with respect to FIG. 9, for learningengine 254 to improve accuracy.

Identifying Reimbursement Request Recipients

In some embodiments, server 111 may receive information provided bypayee 121 through provided user interfaces that identify requestrecipients manually. To manually identify recipients, server 111 mayprovide interfaces allowing payee 121 to select individuals from acontact list stored on payee device 120A, or contacts associated withone or more linked social networks, as discussed above with respect toFIG. 8. Alternatively or additionally, payee 121 can identify recipientswho are not already present in a stored contact list or otherwisealready associated with payee 121, by entering contact information forthe recipient including e-mail addresses, telephone numbers, FSP 110customer IDs, or social network IDs.

In some embodiments, server 111 may identify one or more recipientsbased on an indication that payee 121 “bumped” mobile devices with therecipient, transferring information from the recipient's phoneidentifying the recipient and/or authorizing reimbursement payment(s).For example, when the mobile devices are physically bumped while in awireless pairing mode, contact information such as the recipient'se-mail address, social network ID, telephone number, and/or FSP 110customer ID can be automatically transmitted from payor device 120B topayee device 120A. Upon receipt of the recipient contact information,FSP app 352 may automatically update payee device 120A contact lists,and adds the new recipient information to recipient selection lists.

In some embodiments, server 111 may identify request recipients for ashared expense automatically using gathered location data to identifynearby FSP 110 customers at the time of the shared expense transaction.When server 111 or payee 121 identifies a shared expense, server 111 maygather location data for payee device 120A based on Bluetooth™,Bluetooth™ LE, GPS, WiFi, cellular, or other wireless location methods.Server 111 may compare payee device 120A location data to the locationsof other FSP 110 customer device locations to identify other FSP 110customers who are in close proximity to payee 121 at the time of theshared expense transaction. Server 111 may cross-check a list ofproximate FSP 110 customers against payee device 120A contact lists andany linked e-mail or social network contact lists to identify matches.The identified matches may be displayed to payee 121 as a potentialshared expense group on reimbursement request user interfaces. Thedisplay of identified matches may be included in messages to payee 121,such as the message shown in FIG. 7 upon detection of a shared expensefor a meal. Server 111 may further receive information indicating payee121 edited the shared expense group to add or remove recipients beforesending a reimbursement request for the shared expense. Based on theaddition or removal of automatically identified recipients, learningengine 254 may update patterns and algorithms to improve accuracy offuture data analysis.

Sending Reimbursement Payment

FIG. 11 shows an exemplary user interface for sending payment for areimbursement request. As shown, the payee 121 and amount requested maybe stated at the top of the user interface. A description of the sharedexpense may also be provided (not shown). Buttons for different paymentoptions may be provided, such as “Use Gift Card,” “Use Debit Card,” “UseCredit Card,” and/or “Use eCheck Card.” Payment options may differdepending on whether payor 122 is a FSP 110 customer. If so, a buttonmay be provided to send payment from payor 122's FSP 110 account.Otherwise, payor 122 may select other payment buttons, including buttonsfor payment by credit card, debit card, e-check, or gift card, asindicated.

In some embodiments, server 111 may provide for payor 122 to sendreimbursement payment by gift card. For a payment by gift card, server111 may receive information from payor 122 associated with the vendor ofthe gift card, such as “Amazon.com™” or “Starbucks™,” and the face valueof the gift card. Server 111 may query one or more third party servers140 operated by gift card marketplace services to determine thepercentage value of gift cards for the indicated vendor, and calculate asale value for the gift card. For example, if third party server 140indicates to server 111 that a Starbucks™ gift card may be sold for 90%of its face value, then server 111 may calculate a sale value of $90 fora Starbucks gift card with a face value of $100. Server 111 may informpayor 122 of the sale value available for the gift card. If payor 122choses to proceed with selling the gift card to pay the reimbursementrequest, server 11 may receive additional information from payor 122concerning the gift card, such as the gift card code(s) and PINnumber(s). In certain aspects, server 111 may also instruct payor 122 tosend a physical gift card to payee 121, FSP 110, or the gift cardmarketplace associated with third party server 140. Server 111 may sendthe reimbursement payment in the amount of the gift card sale value topayee 121.

In some embodiments, server 111 may receive an indication that payor 122instructed FSP app 352 on payor device 120B to automatically payincoming reimbursement requests. Payor 122 may manually indicate toserver 111 (via, e.g., FSP app 352 on payor device 120B) a maximumallowable amount for an automatic payment. In some embodiments, server111 may determine whether to automatically pay payee 121 from payor122's funds. To make this determination, server 111 may determine therisks associated with the reimbursement request transaction, andauthorizes automatic payments for requests having a level of risk belowa predetermined level. Server 111 may determine a risk level based onthe amount requested by payee 121 and/or the amount of past interactionbetween payee 121 and payor 122. For example, server 111 may determinewhether payee 121 and payor 122 are connected in one or more socialnetworks, listed on one another's contact lists, have been parties topast shared expense requests or payments, and/or the frequency ofe-mail, telephone, and/or social network communication between payee 121and payor 122. Based on a consideration of these factors, server 111 maydetermine the level of risk in authorizing an automatic payment, wherehigher levels of risk are associated with less frequent communicationsand little prior shared expense history, and lower levels of risk areassociated with more frequent communications and more substantial sharedexpense history. In some embodiments, payor 122 may place a limit onautomatic payments (via, e.g. FSP app 352 on payor device 120B), such asby instructing server 111 to only authorize low-risk transactions foramounts less than $20.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes ofillustration. It is not exhaustive and is not limited to the preciseforms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications and adaptations of theembodiments will be apparent from consideration of the specification andpractice of the disclosed embodiments. For example, the describedimplementations include hardware and software, but systems and methodsconsistent with the present disclosure can be implemented as hardwarealone.

Computer programs based on the written description and methods of thisspecification are within the skill of a software developer. The variousprograms or program modules can be created using a variety ofprogramming techniques. For example, program sections or program modulescan be designed in or by means of Java, C, C++, assembly language, orany such programming languages. One or more of such software sections ormodules can be integrated into a computer system, non-transitorycomputer-readable media, or existing communications software.

Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, thescope includes any and all embodiments having equivalent elements,modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations or alterations based on the presentdisclosure. The elements in the claims are to be interpreted broadlybased on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examplesdescribed in the present specification or during the prosecution of theapplication, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.Further, the steps of the disclosed methods can be modified in anymanner, including by reordering steps or inserting or deleting steps. Itis intended, therefore, that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit beingindicated by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

1. A system for managing shared expenses, comprising: a storage devicestoring instructions; and at least one processor configured to executethe instructions in the storage device to: detect a shared expense basedat least on purchase transaction information associated with a firstuser; identify one or more second users associated with the sharedexpense based at least on the purchase transaction information; generateone or more requests for reimbursement for a share amount that is lessthan the shared expense; transmit the one or more reimbursement requeststo at least one of the one or more second users indicating the shareamount; and receive reimbursement information for a payment directed tothe first user for the share amount in response to the request forreimbursement.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor is partof a server operated by a financial service provider.
 3. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the one or more requests for reimbursement aretransmitted to one or more mobile devices associated with the one ormore second users.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least oneprocessor is further configured to: receive, from the first user, one ormore indications of the share amount to include in the one or morereimbursement requests, wherein each indicated share amount is specificto one of the one or more second users.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the purchase transaction information comprises a transactionamount and at least one of a transaction category or transaction vendor,and wherein the processor detects the shared expense by comparing thetransaction amount to a transaction threshold and comparing thetransaction category or transaction vendor to a shared expense patternstored in the storage device associated with at least the first user. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is furtherconfigured to: determine a transaction risk associated withautomatically processing the payment from one of the second users basedat least on the share amount; and process the payment automatically whenthe transaction risk is below a predetermined threshold by deducting theshare amount from an account associated with the one of the second usersand crediting the share amount to an account associated with the firstuser.
 7. A computer-implemented method for managing shared expenses,comprising: detecting, by one or more processors, a shared expense basedat least on purchase transaction information associated with a firstuser; identifying one or more second users associated with the sharedexpense based at least on the purchase transaction information;generating, by the one or more processors, one or more requests forreimbursement for a share amount that is less than the shared expense;transmitting, by the one or more processors, the one or morereimbursement requests to at least one of the one or more second usersindicating the share amount; and receiving, by the one or moreprocessors, reimbursement information for a payment directed to thefirst user for the share amount in response to the request forreimbursement.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein at least one of the oneor more processors is part of a server operated by a financial serviceprovider.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the one or more requests forreimbursement are transmitted to one or more mobile devices associatedwith the one or more second users.
 10. The method of claim 7, whereinthe purchase transaction information comprises a transaction amount andat least one of a transaction category or transaction vendor, andwherein the method further comprises detecting the shared expense bycomparing the transaction amount to a transaction threshold andcomparing the transaction category or transaction vendor to a sharedexpense pattern associated with at least the first user.
 11. The methodof claim 7, further comprising: determining a transaction riskassociated with automatically processing the payment from one of thesecond users based at least on the share amount; and processing thepayment automatically when the transaction risk is below a predeterminedthreshold by deducting the share amount from an account associated withthe one of the second users and crediting the share amount to an accountassociated with the first user.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium having stored instructions, which when executed, cause one ormore processors to perform the method of: detecting a shared expensebased at least on purchase transaction information associated with afirst user; identifying one or more second users associated with theshared expense based at least on the purchase transaction information;generating, by the one or more processors, one or more requests forreimbursement for expense share amount that is less than the sharedexpense; transmitting, by the one or more processors, the one or morereimbursement requests to at least one of the one or more second usersindicating the share amount; and receiving, by the one or moreprocessors, reimbursement information for a payment directed to thefirst user for the share amount in response to the request forreimbursement.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim12, wherein the one or more requests for reimbursement are transmittedto one or more mobile devices associated with the one or more secondusers.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, themethod further comprising: receive, from the first user, one or moreindications of the share amount to include in the one or morereimbursement requests, wherein each indicated share amount is specificto one of the one or more second users.
 15. The system of claim 1,wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: identify anon-paying user of the one or more second users; determine whether toissue a temporary credit for the non-paying user; and when thedetermination is positive, process the payment using the temporarycredit.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processoremploys a learning engine to detect the shared expense.
 17. The systemof claim 16, wherein the learning engine improves a detection accuracybased on feedback received from the first user.
 18. The method of claim7, further comprising: identifying a non-paying user of the one or moresecond users; determining whether to issue a temporary credit for thenon-paying user; and when the determination is positive, processing thepayment using the temporary credit.
 19. The method of claim 7, whereinthe one or more processors employs a learning engine to detect theshared expense.
 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the learning engineimproves a detection accuracy based on feedback received from the firstuser.